Life As We Know It
by Piper Dane
Summary: Ten years out of Hogwarts, our trio works for the Ministry of Defense along with Ginny Weasley. How will their lives continue to tangle together?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
With well-rehearsed fingers, Hermione Granger unfastened her black equipment vest and tossed it onto the couch. She sighed deeply and sank into a well stuffed armchair, her tight dark clothing standing out against the pale blue upholstery. Pulling the fastener out of her hair, she nimbly unwove the braid and ran her fingers through the slightly flattened brown curls. To her delight, as her body had entered puberty, her hair had decided to also undergo a transformation, and the typically unruly mass of hair had, to her delight, begun to curl rather than frizz, and now, at twenty-eight, Hermione was blessed with a halo of chestnut curls, that, when left untied, hung to the middle of her back.  
  
In recent months, however, Hermione's hair spent most of it's time pulled back in a tight braid, the only truly safe way to wear it in her profession. Hermione, like her two best friends, had begun Auror training in the middle of their last year at Hogwarts. Recently, a surge of Dark Magic had occurred and many attributed this to yet another rising of Lord Voldemort. Hermione didn't doubt the rumors, and they terrified her. Voldemort seemed more powerful each time they encountered him, and she feared the day he next attacked, knowing full well that Harry was a prime target.  
  
As Crookshanks leapt into her lap and settled in for a nap, Hermione let her mind wander over her current situation. The Three Musketeers were still banded together; she, Ron, and Harry all served the Ministry of Magic as Aurors, though both boys dreamed of leaving the stressful job and joining a Quidditch team. Harry and Ron lived together in a flat not far from the one she shared with her roommate. Not surprisingly, Hermione had, upon graduation, worked her way through a series of roommates. She knew full well she wasn't the easiest person to live with, as she was still too smart for her own good. Thankfully, she had found herself a perfect roommate while walking the halls of the Ministry of Magic Headquarters before a meeting. Rounding a corner of the Department of Law Enforcement, she had nearly run into one of her closest friends, Ginny Weasley. Ginny was also employed by the department, though Hermione still wasn't sure of her exact position, due to highly secretive policies. After a quick discussion, both women discovered they were without roommates (as Ginny's dazed state was due to the news that her roommate was leaving the country on assignment), and the two had lived together for nearly three years since.  
  
"Hermione?" came Ginny's soft voice. "Are you awake?"  
  
Hermione smiled and opened her eyes. "Yeah," she replied. "Just lounging for a while."  
  
"You've been so tired lately. Ever thought of taking a day off?"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Ginny, you know as well as I do how that would go over. Besides, if I call in sick, you know that Harry and Ron would be here in two seconds flat."  
  
Ginny chuckled and nodded. "That they would." She reached over and scratched Crookshanks behind the ear. "I hope you don't mind, but I ran into Ron today at work and invited him and Harry over for supper. If those two are anything like you, they're probably too exhausted after work to cook a decent meal for themselves."  
  
Hermione smiled, knowing how enjoyable their meals as a foursome had become. "That sounds wonderful, Ginny. Just let me get changed out of this dreadful uniform and shower and I'll join you in the kitchen," she said, dumping Crookshanks off her lap and standing, attempting to brush the orange hair off of her clothing.  
  
The taller woman shook her head. "That uniform in and of itself is enough to make me glad I'm not an Auror. You look gorgeous in it. But I'm afraid it would show every bump and bulge this body has. I'm just waiting for the day when my mother's genes set in."  
  
Hermione gave Ginny the once over. Standing nearly 5'10", Ginny had nothing to complain about. Her body was round where it should be round, firm where it should be firm. Her red hair was cut in a soft bob, curling under at her shoulders. Like all the Weasleys, her face was dusted with freckles, and her eyes always seemed to sparkle. "Ginny, I don't know what you're talking about. Besides," she laughed. "You think there aren't a few spells attached to this thing?" A few simple clothier's spells kept any figure flaws in check.  
  
Ginny tapped her lips pseudo-pensively, a smile threatening to break the image. "Hmm. perhaps I'll have to try that." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
After a long, hot shower, Hermione had dressed in what Mrs. Weasley would call "the style of the generation." While many older witches and wizards chose to spend their time in robes, the younger group preferred a style of Muggle clothing. Tonight, planning on sleeping in what she wore to dinner, Hermione wore an oversized pair of soft green pants and a form-fitting navy blue tank top. She was just squeezing a bit more water out of her hair with a towel when there was a pounding on her door.  
  
"Hermiiiiiiiiiiione!" Ron bellowed loudly.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. "You can come in, Ron."  
  
The door opened and Ron entered, a sly grin on his face. Like Hermione, Ron had changed significantly since his first years at Hogwarts. Nearly 6'3", Ron had yet to fill out his lanky form, though Auror training had added a significant amount of tone to his body. He was built like a runner. His red hair was still slightly unruly, though Hermione didn't think he ever tried to do anything about that in the first place.  
  
"Ginny sent me to tell you that we're here and that food will be on the table in fifteen minutes."  
  
She smiled at him. "Ginny sent you?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
He grinned back. "Well, she asked one of us to go, and I figured I'd offer. Harry and Ginny need their alone time. You know there's something going on between the two of them, even if they are keeping it in secret."  
  
"Oh?" she responded with a grin, enjoying this game they were playing. "What makes you think they'd keep something like that a secret?"  
  
"Ehh," he said, approaching her. He grabbed the towel out of her hands and tossed it over his shoulder. "I know others who have done it." With that, he placed his hands on her hips, slid them up and around her back and pulled her close.  
  
"Hmm." she responded ponderingly, sliding her arms around his neck. "It's possible."  
  
He rubbed his nose against hers. "Entirely," he mumbled against her lips before kissing her.  
  
Hermione finally broke the kiss with a breathless gasp. "Ron," she said seriously as he began to kiss her neck. "We can't continue to keep this a secret." "Mmm.I know, 'Mione." he mumbled against her, kissing her skin along the edge of her top. He sat down on her bed and pulled her onto his lap. Replacing his lips with a caressing hand, he looked up at her. "It's just not an easy thing to share, you know. 'Hey Harry, you know how you, me, and Hermione have been best friends forever? Well I've seen her naked.'"  
  
"You think he doesn't already suspect?"  
  
"Quite possibly, but you never know. Wanna tell them?"  
  
"Me? Now?" she squeaked, sliding out of his lap.  
  
"Well, not right now," he responded, pressing her down onto the bed and lifting her shirt to kiss her stomach. "We've got ten minutes until dinner."  
  
She laughed, causing her stomach to shake under his lips. "I don't know what you think is going to happen in ten minutes, Ron Weasley. But we should tell them. Separately though. I don't want to make a huge deal out of this."  
  
Ron kissed her stomach one last time, his nose bumping her navel. "Works for me. I'll tell Harry tonight over a game of chess. 'Checkmate. Oh, by the way, I've been shagging Hermione, sorry I didn't tell you."  
  
"Ron!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed. I know this beginning is a little slow, but I'm just trying to set up the story rather than throw all the information in at once. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
In the kitchen, Harry helped Ginny with dinner. Living with the Dursley family, Harry had learned much about Muggle cooking, but Wizard cooking was a completely different story. Of course, all the food was created by spells and magic, but just like Muggle cooking, it wasn't quite as simple as following the steps to create the perfect meal. Ginny's mother had taught her well; she knew a good number of spell combinations to create wonderful meals.  
  
Harry finished setting the table, choosing to do it the old way rather than simply magic the dishes and silverware onto the surface. When he turned back around to the stove, Ginny was leaning over a pot of what appeared to be soup. She dipped a spoon into the liquid, lifted out a mouthful, blew on it, and placed the spoon in her mouth.  
  
"Mmm," she said, sounding pleased with herself. "I've almost got Mom's Spiced Tomato Cream soup down. Want a taste?"  
  
"Sure!" Harry replied, walking over to her. She repeated the process using the same spoon and even blew on the steaming liquid for Harry before placing the spoon into his mouth. As the thick, hot liquid spread through his mouth, he smiled. "That is good, Ginny."  
  
She grinned, pleased. "Thanks!"  
  
"I don't know, Harry," came Ron's voice from the doorway. "She's already got you eating out of her hands. Not a good sign."  
  
Ginny blushed and Harry laughed. "Would you turn down her cooking?" Like Ron, Harry had grown from his Auror training, though his body had reacted slightly differently. Harry's shoulders were broad, his chest was solid, and his arms were significantly larger than they had been at Hogwarts. Standing just a bit shorter than Ron, Harry wasn't overly muscular, as Ginny often noticed, but he did fill out a t-shirt quite nicely.  
  
Hermione elbowed Ron in the side, preventing him from saying anything more. With a quick flick of her wand, Ginny moved the dishes from the stove to the table, and the quartet sat down to eat.  
  
All in all, it was a lovely meal. Ron had only tried once to weasel his sister's latest task for work. And he spent much of the meal with his hand upon Hermione's knee, attempting to slide it higher more than once. Each time, Hermione gave him the evil eye, which worked, as it always had.  
  
On the other side of the table, Harry and Ginny were not oblivious to what was going on between Ron and Hermione. Anyone would have figured them out by now, spending so much time together, sneaking glances when they were together. Harry had once confessed to Ginny that he thought they were perhaps keeping their relationship a secret so to protect their jobs. Never before had two Aurors been in a romantic relationship, and neither of them wanted to be moved to a different location in the department.  
  
But that didn't mean they couldn't tell their friends.  
  
Following the meal, three of them retreated into the sitting room. Ron stayed behind to do the dishes. Not thirty seconds later, they heard a crash of pans and a hearty laugh.  
  
"Ron, you had better not be destroying our kitchen!" Ginny yelled, laughing.  
  
Ron entered the room with a sheepish grin. "Everything's fine, Ginny, I would never destroy a kitchen," he replied charmingly. "Well, except for that one time when I was ten." he said with a laugh as he sunk into the couch next to his sister.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes in response. "So, how is work going for you boys?"  
  
"That's classified information, ma'am," Harry drawled.  
  
"Harry, you git," scolded Hermione jovially. "Ginny has access to more classified information than the three of us put together."  
  
"True. It's going well, I'd say, Ginny. Obviously, you know we're kind of back in training, working towards the big push the Ministry is planning in a few months."  
  
Over the past year, there had been a surge of dark magic. Whether or not it was related to Voldemort or his followers or another group had yet to be seen. But the entire Ministry of Defense had been preparing for a huge sting against the dark wizarding world. The department had been as discreet as possible with these preparations, as no one wanted to tip off the dark wizards that something was coming. But everyone suspected something big was being prepared. By both sides. 


End file.
